chicagocouncil – Page 5 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

Demanding Justice for Adam Toledo

On March 29, 2021, a Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer shot and killed thirteen-year-old Adam Toledo after chasing him on foot in Little Village. The footage reflects a tragedy—a tragedy that did not have to happen, for the thirteen-year-old, for his family and friends, for the police officer...

Chicago Council of Lawyers’ Statement in Support of the Judicial Quality Act (SB 0563)

The Chicago Council of Lawyers strongly supports passage of SB 0653, the Judicial Quality Act (the “Act”). The Act requires that the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts “develop and implement an ongoing education and training program for judges and relevant court personnel regarding do...

Ending Money Bail Makes Communities Safer, Fairer, and Protects Due Process

This statement from the Chicago Council of Lawyers was originally published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin on March 22, 2021. Click here for the article. On February 22, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a landmark criminal justice reform package—the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equit...

Findings: Access to Diversion Programs for Low-Level, “Non-Violent” Felonies has Improved since Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Took Office

The Chicago Council of Lawyers and our collaboration partners, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, have again joined The People’s Lobby and Reclaim Chicago to release the eighth report in our series on prosecutorial accountability in Cook County. The report, “Decarcerating Cook County: Use of...

Legislation Alert!

The Chicago Council of Lawyers is urging its members to submit Witness slips in opposition to HB 0861, which removes the court's discretion to award maintenance without consideration of "marital misconduct". HB 861 specifically prohibits an award of support if the spouse paying support (obligor) is...

VICTORY: Governor Pritzker Abolishes Money Bail by Signing HB 3653 – The SAFE-T Act – into Law

On Monday, February 22, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed HB 3653 SFA2: the SAFE-T (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity – Today) Act. The bill was sponsored in the 101st General Assembly by Senator Robert Peters, Senator Elgie Sims, and Representative Justin Slaughter as part of the Illinois...

Letter to Governor Pritzker: Support for HB 3653

On January 13, 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed a historic criminal justice reform package (presented by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus). Among the many provisions in the 764 page bill is the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) – a comprehensive proposal that ends mon...

Waiting for Justice: An examination of the Cook County Criminal Court backlog in the age of COVID-19

The content in this article was originally submitted as testimony to the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Criminal Justice Committee meeting on January 27, 2020, about peoples’ lengths of stay in Cook County Jail and on electronic monitoring, and the effect COVID-19 has had on the growing jail po...

VICTORY: Illinois Just Passed the Pretrial Fairness Act and Ended Money Bail

After years of advocacy by the Coalition to End Money Bond – including Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers – and thousands of other organizers across the state, the Illinois Legislature just became the first in the nation to abolish money bail by passing HB 3653 SFA2. Once Governor...

Illinois Supreme Court Amendment to Rule 23 – A Necessary Change

On November 20, the Illinois Supreme Court amended Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23. Rule 23 originally allowed reviewing courts in Illinois to issue decisions as unpublished orders if the ruling does not establish law (is not precedential). The amendment to Rule 23 will now allow these unpublished or...

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